Two monks infected with the new coronavirus have died in Ukraine, while their monastery, located in the centre of Kiev, has been turned into a hotbed of the disease since more than 90 people have been infected in recent days.
According to a statement from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate of Moscow, the two monks died during tha last few days.
The first monk to die had pneumonia and was found to be negative for the new coronavirus, the doctors, however, diagnosed Covid-19 by the symptoms, Archbishop Clement Vecheria told AFP.
Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko announced today that another 63 monks tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, bringing the number of cases to 93.
All the monks underwent medical examinations and “many” of them are being treated. The monastery is quarantined.
In March, as the government was announcing the closure of schools, public places and the shutdown of public transport, the abbot of the monastery, Metropolitan Paul, called on the faithful to “hurry to the churches” and to “fear nothing.” Last week, speaking on television, he described the coronavirus as the “plague of the 21st century.”
Source: ANA-MPA
